Missouri man arrested for targeting Placer County youth

An individual targeting a Placer County child was arrested in Missouri on Nov. 4. The Placer County Sheriff's Office reported Special Operations detectives began investigating in April and identified Steven Ohrie Williams III, 28, of Missouri had been communicating with a Placer County child for the purpose of obtaining illicit material. According to the Sheriff's Office, Williams was arrested with the assistance of the U.S. Marshals Service, the St. Charles County Police Department and the St. Charles Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force. He is awaiting extradition to Placer County, where he will face felony charges including lewd or lascivious acts with a child aged 14 or 15, possession of child pornography, sending harmful material to seduce a minor and contacting a minor to commit a felony. The Sheriff's Office confirmed there may be additional victims and asked for anyone with information that could assist the investigation to contact its office at 530-886-5375. "The Placer County Sheriff's Office is committed to safeguarding our children and will stop at nothing to identify, locate and apprehend individuals involved in crimes against the children within our county and present cases to our partners at the Placer County District Attorney's Office for prosecution," the Sheriff's Office stated. According to the Sheriff's Office, apps predators commonly use to target children include Kik, Omegle, Snapchat, Roblox, Discord, Yubo, Holla and similar video chat apps that pair users with strangers. Hidden "Vault" apps disguised as calculators or utilities, like Calculator%, are also used to secretly store photos or videos. The Sheriff's Office shared the following tips to assist parents with protecting their kids: Have open conversations about what apps they use, who they talk to and how they share content. Make it safe for them to ask questions. Check device settings, and disable location sharing and "add by proximity" features. Set messaging options to "friends only." Use parental controls to restrict app downloads without approval and review installed apps regularly. Teach digital boundaries and remind them nothing online truly disappears as screenshots and shares can happen instantly. Monitor time and usage. Keep devices in shared spaces and set reasonable time limits. Encourage reporting to make sure your child knows to tell you or another trusted adult if someone asks for explicit photos, pressures them to meet or makes them uncomfortable.